PCB's governing board dissolved

The prime minister of Pakistan and new patron of the PCB, Nawaz Sharif, has dissolved the governing board of the PCB, and formed a five-member interim management committee (IMC) to run cricket in the country. The PCB's acting chairman Najam Sethi‚ former chairman Shahryar Khan, former players Zaheer Abbas and Haroon Rasheed, former team manager Naved Cheema were appointed to the committee.

The IMC was directed by Sharif to elect one of its members as chairman, and the committee unanimously chose Sethi, who has been acting as caretaker chairman since July and will represent Pakistan at the ICC board meeting on October 18 and 19 in London.

"The patron of PCB, the prime minister of Pakistan, has been pleased to direct the following: 1. Paragraph Section 41 of PCB constitution has been amended [implemented] and under the said paragraphs the board has been superseded," the PCB said in a release. "An interim management committee has been constituted to ensure that PCB remains enabled to continue to perform day-to-day domestic and international functions for the promotion of the game and in line with the directions of the court."

The new IMC, as one board official confirmed, is essentially a new name for an old method: run by ad-hoc. This is the sixth time the Pakistan board has resorted to being run ad-hoc, one of those instances being between 1999 and 2007.

While the board of governors has been dissolved, the constitution of the board, implemented in 2013, does not stand suspended. As stated in the board's release, the dissolution occurred because of the implementation of Paragraph Section 41 of the current constitution, which allows for such a situation. That clause can be triggered, among other things, if the board is dysfunctional - which was essentially what the PCB had been arguing that the Islamabad High Court judgement severely curtailing Sethi's powers as acting chairman had made it.

The dissolution is the outcome of an issue that began with the Islamabad High Court's judgement on a constitutional writ petition challenging the election of the previous PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, who was then suspended and replaced temporarily by Sethi for a 90-day term. When Sethi, a senior journalist and former caretaker chief minister of Punjab, had his powers curtailed, the court had also set a deadline of October 18 for the PCB to hold fresh elections for chairman. But the PCB wasn't able to comply with the deadline.

The reason best known to ESPNcricinfo for the noncompliance was an incomplete electoral college of many regional associations in Punjab - the largest province in the country - and the refusal of the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the elections. The PCB had written three letters to the Election Commission in compliance with the court order but it learned the commission cannot carry out the election of an autonomous body. The PCB has appealed against the judgement of the Islamabad court but the appeal has been pending since July 25.

It will remain in the same status quo as it has always been People never change no matter who is at the helm.

on October 17, 2013, 16:11 GMT

About time!!! lets hope Pakistan cricket can move in the right direction now ;-)

on October 17, 2013, 5:33 GMT

I will be interesting to hear what is the ICC's position on this. Generally like FIFA they are against government intervention sport - but i recall recently in November 2012 new ICC president saying they reviewing stance on government intervention in cricket - (see this link for Allan Isacs comments http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/591750.html)....so this will be one to watch..

on October 16, 2013, 13:35 GMT

Thts gud decision....

on October 16, 2013, 10:51 GMT

Excellent Decision

on October 16, 2013, 10:31 GMT

chechong0114 thanku very much :)

on October 16, 2013, 9:42 GMT

When will this cricket ad hocism end? When will the PCB become a full functioning body?

Umair_umair
on October 16, 2013, 4:59 GMT

Then why was Zaka Ashraf removed on first place?

Q_Man
on October 16, 2013, 2:05 GMT

I'm pretty sure the ICC had made it so cricket and politics would not be mixed

chechong0114
on October 15, 2013, 23:33 GMT

Pakistan cricket is soooooo important to cricket on the whole, it is so sad to see that they are unable to host home matches and their adoring and cricket loving fans are made to suffer due to circumstances beyond their control. But they must not be taken for granted and deserve the utmost respect as a test playing nation and the ICC as well as other governing bodies in the sport must ensure and maintain that their players are treated as the professionals they are.
Having said that I hope to see more of their players playing in the IPL next year as well as in the Caribbean Premier League which has proven itself to be a formidable tornament. Having said that I hope that everyone concerned in the highest ranks of cricket will do what they can to help preserve this great cricket nation as assure that they remain the great organization they are.

on October 18, 2013, 15:34 GMT

It will remain in the same status quo as it has always been People never change no matter who is at the helm.

on October 17, 2013, 16:11 GMT

About time!!! lets hope Pakistan cricket can move in the right direction now ;-)

on October 17, 2013, 5:33 GMT

I will be interesting to hear what is the ICC's position on this. Generally like FIFA they are against government intervention sport - but i recall recently in November 2012 new ICC president saying they reviewing stance on government intervention in cricket - (see this link for Allan Isacs comments http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/591750.html)....so this will be one to watch..

on October 16, 2013, 13:35 GMT

Thts gud decision....

on October 16, 2013, 10:51 GMT

Excellent Decision

on October 16, 2013, 10:31 GMT

chechong0114 thanku very much :)

on October 16, 2013, 9:42 GMT

When will this cricket ad hocism end? When will the PCB become a full functioning body?

Umair_umair
on October 16, 2013, 4:59 GMT

Then why was Zaka Ashraf removed on first place?

Q_Man
on October 16, 2013, 2:05 GMT

I'm pretty sure the ICC had made it so cricket and politics would not be mixed

chechong0114
on October 15, 2013, 23:33 GMT

Pakistan cricket is soooooo important to cricket on the whole, it is so sad to see that they are unable to host home matches and their adoring and cricket loving fans are made to suffer due to circumstances beyond their control. But they must not be taken for granted and deserve the utmost respect as a test playing nation and the ICC as well as other governing bodies in the sport must ensure and maintain that their players are treated as the professionals they are.
Having said that I hope to see more of their players playing in the IPL next year as well as in the Caribbean Premier League which has proven itself to be a formidable tornament. Having said that I hope that everyone concerned in the highest ranks of cricket will do what they can to help preserve this great cricket nation as assure that they remain the great organization they are.

naudurivsm
on October 15, 2013, 23:05 GMT

I it should be other way round. I wish the Pakistan Govt. dissolves and with that all problems of Pakistan Cricket would be gone. And the cricketers can play the game without fear of political disturbance.

reality_check
on October 15, 2013, 22:25 GMT

PCB motto - Keep making the same mistake over and over again and expect different result each time.

What does Najam Sethi, a journalist by profession, knows about running a cricket board?

Big_Chikka
on October 15, 2013, 17:38 GMT

just as in politics the man on the street see's little benefit, cricketers in pakistan will see little benefit. generals, pm's.......have a use for the platform cricket provides for their messages. the chairs have moved, an some people too but, like the country, the management of cricket is a terrible mess. hand to mouth ex pro's and politicians used to lavish lifestyles and vip treatment have zero to offer the pakistani cricketer. don't get this post wrong, i'd love to be proven wrong.

on October 15, 2013, 17:31 GMT

I hope they change the selection committee. Iqbal Qasim, Saleem Jaffer and Moin Khan. They ruined the Pakistan cricket team by favoritism. I hope the next selection committee wont belong to one city or region and are unbiased

QTS_
on October 15, 2013, 16:18 GMT

Why do former players not direct the PCB? In Bangladesh, players from the 90's and early 2000's are now heading the BCB. Surely it would reduce the impact of politics on PCB? Or not...

on October 15, 2013, 16:14 GMT

time for clean up in pakistan cricket and strengthen their domestic structure rather than pointing at the nationals.. Giant leaps must be taken to get cricket back in their country...

CricketChat
on October 15, 2013, 15:51 GMT

When will a democratically elected, self governing PCB unaffected by political changes become a reality?

on October 15, 2013, 14:51 GMT

that shouldn't have happened.if you appoint Najam Sethi as interim chairman for almost 4-5 months,why don't you appoint as a full-time chairman?this is wrong as politics and sports are being mixed

ARID88
on October 15, 2013, 14:30 GMT

This is our dilemma ICC should take notice of this...Pakistan Cricket is made a joke by our politicians...Zaka Ashraf was a big of supporter of Pakistan People Party who was a ruling party last year and they appoint him as a chairman...same is the case of Najam Sethi he was an acting C.M of Punjab and is elected by the same Nawaz Shariff now we all are expecting that Najam will take that position too permanently...becoz he served them before according to thier wish...Dtz y we ranked so down from last few years.

on October 15, 2013, 14:23 GMT

well done najam sethi thats ur proposal to avoid court order good luck to pakistan

Haleos
on October 15, 2013, 14:16 GMT

Great news. Hope Indian Govt follows this.

on October 15, 2013, 13:56 GMT

It would be very interesting to see how the ICC will handle this IMC . Please be reminded of the IMC that was formed in Guyana, and was not recognized by the WICB and the ICC in the management of cricket in Guyana. The ICC, also does not want governments involved in the administration of cricket. Lets see how this will play out.

avmd
on October 15, 2013, 13:54 GMT

I'm not to worried about this, things were so messed up in Zaka's ear, it would take some time to clean up the things. Everyone of his family and friend and party was given the job in the PCB without ant merit although from outside he looked to be a person trying to do something. Good to see some credible people like Shahryar Khan in the loop, although Sethi has not impressed me a lot, so far.

Anwar-Lara
on October 15, 2013, 13:43 GMT

" The IMC was directed by Sharif to elect one of its members as chairman, and the committee unanimously chose Sethi.."

The person who is looking after the country is the same man who is looking after PCB ,we know which way they both are going..

WalkingWicket11
on October 15, 2013, 13:27 GMT

Wasn't there an ICC directive to eliminate political interference in the functioning of cricket boards? Nobody is going to talk about it, because it is only when BCCI flouts ICC's directives that we have a problem.

Cric_fever_forever
on October 15, 2013, 13:24 GMT

Now thats the first step towards real democratic board.... welll done to the court

Smithie
on October 15, 2013, 13:22 GMT

Will they bend to Srini's will or run with the rest at the ICC?

muxa
on October 15, 2013, 12:50 GMT

@abcdef_12345
zaka ashraf was sent home by court few months ago on the application of former captain rashid latif, reason was zaka ashraf was fair to pakistan cricket and of course we dont want that,,... zaka was the main person to thank for pak india series and he even asked to play jinnah gandhi trophy (5test+7odi+3t20s) would have been an ashes for asians team.. najam sethi was the person who was a part of neutral transition government responsible for elections and now almost every thing seems clear..

on October 15, 2013, 12:19 GMT

I am not too fussed about this decision at the moment. What comes after will be important. Board was almost at a stand still after court's ruling and many issues from financial to management were pending.

If whatever coming next is according to the constitution then that will be good.

PrasPunter
on October 15, 2013, 12:11 GMT

Wish to see Pak to be back at its best , to be back to that golden era
where the likes of Waqar and Wasim send shivers down the spine of the
batsmen. Hope every step is taken to lead Pak to that.

on October 15, 2013, 12:09 GMT

Here we go again. Politicians messing with Cricket. This cannot be good no matter how you look at it. The next guy who gets elected as PM will come by and dissolve everything the previous guy did and start a new committee. This is a never ending problem.

British_North_America
on October 15, 2013, 12:00 GMT

Now, where is all powerful Zaka Ashraf who spoiled earning of many cricketers? Sending Bangladesh to Pakistan was a part of PPP's election campaign.

on October 15, 2013, 11:54 GMT

Now that the government has solved all the other problems the country is facing, it is time to sort out cricket as well. Thank you Mr Prime Minister.

pak_sohail
on October 15, 2013, 11:42 GMT

That's a bit weird even by Pakistani standards...

on October 15, 2013, 11:37 GMT

Will be happy if some of our pakistani friends give us a recap on what was happening in the comments list at least. We should have known the lead up to this development earlier from such sports sites! But if not them, our friends could comment?

Sachit1979
on October 15, 2013, 11:34 GMT

This is worst that could have happened with PCB. Why politicians are having so much interference in Cricket matters? I think sensible senior Cricketers could do much better job to nourish Cricket in the country then any politician.

on October 15, 2013, 11:34 GMT

What!!! ? Dont understand. What's been happening there. None of our pakistani friends/fans gave any clues either. But this is a blow to cricket reporters including this site. You see this is what happens when you concentrate on just one board or country and headlines after headlines show just that more than what is required. Many of us didnt see this coming! Anyways, happy to see Zaheer Abbas in the midst of things. I know the current pm, and in fact many leaders (be it the general, Imran Khan etc) are passionate about this game in pakistan.

on October 15, 2013, 11:22 GMT

Strange act by Govt.
NAJAM SETHI is not eligible to manage cricket !!!

mak112
on October 15, 2013, 11:17 GMT

I wonder why Najam Sethi is elected as Chairmen when there were Shehryar khan was there. Seems Politics is ruining Pakistan Cricket. So bad.

No featured comments at the moment.

mak112
on October 15, 2013, 11:17 GMT

I wonder why Najam Sethi is elected as Chairmen when there were Shehryar khan was there. Seems Politics is ruining Pakistan Cricket. So bad.

on October 15, 2013, 11:22 GMT

Strange act by Govt.
NAJAM SETHI is not eligible to manage cricket !!!

on October 15, 2013, 11:34 GMT

What!!! ? Dont understand. What's been happening there. None of our pakistani friends/fans gave any clues either. But this is a blow to cricket reporters including this site. You see this is what happens when you concentrate on just one board or country and headlines after headlines show just that more than what is required. Many of us didnt see this coming! Anyways, happy to see Zaheer Abbas in the midst of things. I know the current pm, and in fact many leaders (be it the general, Imran Khan etc) are passionate about this game in pakistan.

Sachit1979
on October 15, 2013, 11:34 GMT

This is worst that could have happened with PCB. Why politicians are having so much interference in Cricket matters? I think sensible senior Cricketers could do much better job to nourish Cricket in the country then any politician.

on October 15, 2013, 11:37 GMT

Will be happy if some of our pakistani friends give us a recap on what was happening in the comments list at least. We should have known the lead up to this development earlier from such sports sites! But if not them, our friends could comment?

pak_sohail
on October 15, 2013, 11:42 GMT

That's a bit weird even by Pakistani standards...

on October 15, 2013, 11:54 GMT

Now that the government has solved all the other problems the country is facing, it is time to sort out cricket as well. Thank you Mr Prime Minister.

British_North_America
on October 15, 2013, 12:00 GMT

Now, where is all powerful Zaka Ashraf who spoiled earning of many cricketers? Sending Bangladesh to Pakistan was a part of PPP's election campaign.

on October 15, 2013, 12:09 GMT

Here we go again. Politicians messing with Cricket. This cannot be good no matter how you look at it. The next guy who gets elected as PM will come by and dissolve everything the previous guy did and start a new committee. This is a never ending problem.

PrasPunter
on October 15, 2013, 12:11 GMT

Wish to see Pak to be back at its best , to be back to that golden era
where the likes of Waqar and Wasim send shivers down the spine of the
batsmen. Hope every step is taken to lead Pak to that.